Love Interfered
by FragileLoveHate
Summary: Still drenched, she thought about the moments spent in the rain with him. The way he gradually and seductively touched her all over. The way that he made her feel that in their friendship, love finally interfere. Seddie.An awesome story of the iCarly trio
1. iStart Anew

**Ok, so guys, this is actually a restart of iBeen in Love All Along, which was really confusing to quite some people (It was my fault though!). So I decided to restart it, this time not so confusing! And maybe get some more reviews?**

**"I do not own iCarly, KKHT, or this story. It was written by Snapplelinz. The original will be revealed at the end of the story. Yes, I asked her permission. So when your reviewing for me, you are actually reviewing for him/her" I just wanted everyone to know about an amazing Indian movie that literally fits Seddie perfectly. I swear, the storyline, and the characters for this movie fit the characters of iCarly perfectly.**

**This is a Seddie fanfiction! Trust me it is Seddie!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>He looked at her. Her blonde hair tangled up due to the unexpected rain. Droplets of water trickling down her face, capturing her beautiful features. He was mesmerizing her.<em>**

**_Sam nodded in agreement as her hands went towards her soaking wet cardigan and removed it from her body. She folded it and hung it neatly over the railing while she busied herself with her sopping wet hair. Freddie watched her delicate movements in fascination with a smirk on his face as he leant against the side of the other railing and folded his arms. A sudden idea occurred to him, which broadened his smirk all the more._**

**_After tending to her wet hair (which had become wavy in the process), Sam glanced at Freddie to see what he was doing. She frowned in confusion as he approached her slowly, his hands stretched towards her in a strange posture._**

**_"What are you doing?" Sam asked in confusion as she studied his face._**

**_Freddie said nothing, but twirled around on the spot instead and moved his hands in front of his body as if he were hugging someone._**

**_"Dancing?" Sam asked after finally figuring out his movements._**

**_He nodded, gestured to her and then cocked his head to the side to gauge her response._**

**_"There's no music," Sam pointed out dryly._**

**_"It's not a perfect world, Sam." Freddie whispered to her before formally extending his hand to her._**

**_With a roll of her eyes and a small smile, Sam She offered her dainty hand in his and he pulled her so gracefully towards himself. Then they began dancing around in a small circle in the gazebo, lit with millions of tiny light bubbles which decorated the rooftop and the railings. As they looked each other in the eyes, Freddie slowly..._**

**_At home, she thought about it. She thought about it still drenched and amazed of the moments spent in the rain with Freddie. The way he touched her. They way he kissed her. Her lips. Her cheek. Her neck. Gradually all over her. The way he intertwined their fingers. The way how he made her feel that they've been in love all along. That in their friendship, love finally interfered. _**

* * *

><p>25 June 2017<p>

Freddie stood alone at the tombstone, clutching an umbrella tightly in his hand. So far, it was doing the job of keeping the drizzle off of his expensive black suit, purchased just for this occasion. In a stretch limo parked just a few meters away at the cemetery gates sat his mother in the backseat, clutching her baby granddaughter closely to her chest while she rocked her to sleep. But even this close proximity did not comfort Freddie, for he had never felt more alone in the universe until this very moment.

He glanced down at the newly carved tomb stone. The inscription etched into it only served to remind him of other words spoken to him a life time ago:

"_Hey Freddie. I can't believe I finally fell for you after turning you down for such a long time. What do you say we start over?" she asked of him with a cheeky grin on her face, extending her hand towards him._

If only he hadn't reached out of his own accord and grasped her hand firmly in his. Could he have somehow changed all of this? At this moment, Freddie was inclined to believe that it was possible. He read the inscription once more, the pain stabbing at him like a million knives into his head and chest:

Here lies Carlotta Shay-Benson

Born: 14 April 1993

Died: 18 June 2017

Treasured Daughter

Beloved Wife

Devoted Mother

"_I'm really sorry, Mr. Benson. We did everything we could for your wife. With the haemorrhaging after giving birth and the internal bleeding, she's lucky to have survived it at all. We knew from the start that this was going to be a dangerous pregnancy." Dr. Harris explained sadly, her eyes reflecting sincere empathy._

"_How much time does she have?" Freddie asked of Dr. Harris in a soft murmur._

"_A few days, maybe a few weeks," Dr. Harris responded._

"_And the baby?" Freddie asked anxiously._

"_The baby's vitals are good. She's going to be just fine, Mr. Benson." Dr. Harris responded calmly…_

Freddie couldn't argue with the last line of the tombstone inscription. Despite only spending 3 short weeks with her newborn child, no one had seen or known a more devoted mother than Carly. From the moment her baby girl had been born, Carly hadn't let her out of sight. On those few nights when she had enough strength, Freddie had watched her from the corner of the hospital room while she held her little miracle in her strong arms, cooing and singing a lullaby to her in a soft murmur. For 3 short weeks, Carly had loved their baby fiercely and would continue to do so till the end of time.

When the end had drawn near, Carly had called Freddie aside into the hospital room which had now become her home. They still hadn't given their baby girl a name after three weeks. In the meanwhile, Carly had given her all kinds of names on a whim like 'Baby Girl', 'Her Dumpling' and Freddie's personal favourite, 'Little Miss Nobody'.

"_I want you to promise me something," Carly began in that fierce tone of hers which let Freddie know that she meant business._

"_Anything," Freddie whispered meekly while kissing her forehead._

"_Promise me that you'll get over this someday. That you won't let this ruin any chances of happiness for you and our baby in the future. I'm not telling you to get remarried right away and hang up your next wife's portrait above our bed before I'm cold in the grave. But I don't want you to be alone forever." Carly stated in a teasing manner._

"_That's not remotely funny, Carly." Freddie responded._

"_You're right, but I still need you to promise me." Carly repeated seriously._

"_I can't promise you that," Freddie replied dejectedly, the tears running steadily down his face._

_Carly reached over and caressed his cheek firmly with her hand, an IV drip bulging from it._

"_Fine, that wasn't so much of a deal breaker. But this next one kinda is," she admitted meekly._

"_There's more?" Freddie asked, laughing in spite of himself._

"_Just one more. This concerns our baby girl." Carly replied seriously._

"_What is it?" Freddie asked curiously._

"_We can't go on calling her 'Little Miss Nobody', even though it has a nice ring to it. She needs a real name." Carly continued with a smile on her face._

"_What do you suggest?" Freddie asked, humoring her._

"_I want you to name our daughter Samantha." Carly declared._

_Freddie, who had lent over to rest his head on his wife's stomach, glanced up at her sharply._

"_Are you sure?" he asked meekly._

_Carly nodded vigorously, the tears beginning to run steadily down her cheeks now._

"_I've thought long and hard about this. I need you to promise me this, Freddie." She stated assertively, grasping his hand firmly._

_To her surprise, Freddie shook out of her grasp, got off the hospital bed and began pacing the floor rapidly._

"_Freddie, promise me." Carly urged impatiently._

"_No," Freddie retorted waspishly, his expression turning livid._

"_Why should I promise you anything, Carly? When you broke your promises to me! That's not fair!" Freddie shouted angrily, glancing back at her._

"_Freddie," Carly chided soothingly._

"_No, don't you 'Freddie' me, Carly. When we made our marriage vows, you said forever, Carly. When we decided to have a baby, you promised me that we were going to raise our family together. You broke your promise, Carly." Freddie choked, the tears streaming down his cheeks too._

_Unbeknown to him, Carly had raised herself out of the bed and came to stand before him, a smile on her face._

"_No, don't you dare smile at me, Carly! You can't smile at me like that and change this. If I had known things were gonna turn out this way, I wouldn't have married you in the first place," Freddie stated coldly, hoping his words would sting just enough to make Carly departure from her words._

_They didn't. In fact, Carly moved all the closer to her husband and put her arms around his waist, hugging him tighter to her own body._

"_Liar," she murmured teasingly, knowing this would appease him._

"_Okay, that was a lie. Let's face it, nothing could've kept me away from you, even then. But I can't do this," Freddie wheezed painfully, feeling like his chest was on fire._

"_Yes you can, Freddie. I need you to be strong for me, for our baby. Because I can't…" Carly choked, crying even harder now._

"_I'm so sorry." She whispered frantically, cupping Freddie's face with her hands._

_Freddie hugged her tightly for a few more seconds before reluctantly picking her up in his arms and placing her back in bed once more. Carly pulled Freddie back down onto the bed with her, cradling his head in her hands, rocking him slowly to and fro._

"_I'm sorry we wasted so much time, Freddie. I wish we had more time. But I need you to know something: I don't regret choosing you. You're my life; you're my everything. And I'm going to love you with my last breath and long after that." Carly responded determinedly, kissing the top of his forehead._

"_I'm sorry I couldn't save you," Freddie murmured painstakingly into her hands._

_Carly brought his face upwards with her hands till it was level with hers._

"_You did save me, Freddie." She responded frankly, kissing his forehead._

"_I promise you, Carly. Our daughter will know just how much her mother loved her. She'll know how much I love you..." Freddie murmured fiercely, looking her dead in the eye._

"_I'm counting on that, Freddie." Carly murmured back, a mysterious twinkle in her eye._

"_Come on, you know I can't stand to see you cry," Carly persisted chidingly, rubbing Freddie's back soothingly with her IV-drip-free hand._

"_Well, tough. You're the one who's breaking my heart. Deal with it," Freddie retorted lightheartedly, his face shiny with tears._

Please don't leave me. Please don't leave me.

_Freddie leant forward and kissed her full on the mouth, savoring her taste for one last time. It seemed surreal to him that she felt more alive than ever in this moment when they both knew what was coming. Carly continued kissing him through her tears, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck._

"_I love you so much, Freddie." She murmured wistfully._

"_I love you, Carly Shay. You were the first girl to ever break my heart and fix it in one lifetime. Just because you're not gonna be here, doesn't mean that I'll stop loving you. You're not getting off that easily." Freddie warned fiercely, hugging her closely to his chest._

"_I wouldn't have it any other way." Carly stated, laughing slowly through her tears._

Please don't leave me.

_They stayed like that for a long time, holding one another, memorizing and sorting their last moments together. He held her close all the while, singing her favorite song slowly in her ear. And when it was time, he laid her gently back onto the bed and covered her with a blanket, tucking stray locks of her brown hair behind her ear._

After the warm sensation of that hospital room, Freddie pulled himself abruptly back to the present, where he stood in the pouring rain and shivering. Perhaps the hospital room hadn't been warm after all, but merely an afterglow of Carly's final presence there. Not being able to look at the headstone anymore, Freddie turned away and trudged back towards the car. He climbed into the backseat where his mother sat with his daughter laying asleep in her arms.

"Thanks for waiting, Mom." Freddie stated graciously.

"You're welcome, honey. I will always be here for you and Samantha, Freddie." Marissa responded seriously.

"I know, Mom, thank you. That would make Carly happy too." Freddie replied genuinely, looking his mother directly in the eyes.

Marissa nodded vigorously, her eyes brimming with tears.

"It's been a long day. Let's get you home," she suggested firmly and gave the driver instructions that would lead back to Freddie and Carly's loft apartment.

It had been 3 weeks since the funeral and Freddie still hadn't held little Sam once. Marissa noted that he asked constantly about Sam (how she was, if she was sleeping okay etc), but he hadn't touched her. Marissa understood all too well that her only son was still in the early stages of his grief over his young wife and didn't want to pressurize him into anything. But she also knew that his interaction with Sam in the early stages of her development was essential to the both of them.

It was exactly a month after Carly's funeral when Freddie awoke in the early hours of the morning and heard his daughter crying from her crib in the nursery next door. He waited a few seconds, feeling sure that his mother was in close nearness and would cure the situation.

When Sam kept crying after a few more seconds, Freddie decided to go and inspect. He blinked sleep out of his eyes as he approached the bedroom where his mother slept.

She lay sprawled out on her stomach, clearly in a deep sleep. Freddie felt extremely guilty, thinking to himself how his mother had done virtually all the cooking, cleaning and taking care of Sam since she had moved into the apartment a month ago. His own mother, who was so set in her ways, had chosen to move from Seattle to San Francisco, to be with him in his time of need. In his grief, he hadn't even noticed how much strain she had been taking recently.

After entering the nursery, he switched on the light and approached the crib. Little Sam was kicking and writhing in her crib, her face screwed up, beet red and screaming at the top of her lungs.

At first, all Freddie could do was stare at her, feeling very helpless and lost. He finally snapped out of his daydream when he realized that his mother might soon wake and come check on the noise. At her age, she needed her beauty sleep.

Freddie took a deep breath and bent over the crib very slowly. He reached out his hands towards Sam and gingerly picked her up, being careful to support her neck. In another second, she was cradled against his chest, howling louder than ever, her tiny fists balled up tightly. Freddie began walking around the small room and swinging her gently to get her to stop crying. He checked her nappy (still clean) and tried to get her to drink from her bottle. But little Sam still wouldn't take the bait.

Growing tired himself, Freddie finally sat down in a rocking chair that he and Carly had bought from an antique shop during her pregnancy. Something about the rhythmic swaying of the chair seemed to tell little Sam that it was more comfortable than the crib in any event. But still, she continued to cry and whimper.

Freddie tried every lullaby he could've think of, but Sam paid him no attention while she continued crying.

Then he remembered a silly song that Carly had made him sing to her belly when she was in her second trimester. That had been the first time that Carly had felt the baby kicking after the two of them had found out from Dr. Harris that they were expecting a girl. After clearing his throat several times, Freddie began singing softly to Sam, getting a steady rhythm going with the rocking chair at the same time. After a while, Sam stopped crying and stared up at him with wide eyes, listening to his voice.

She was still awake by the time he was finished, never once taking her eyes off of him. He automatically smiled back at her.

"Hey there, pretty girl," he murmured delicately, rocking her slowly in his arms.

"I'm sorry I haven't held you like this since you were first born. Daddy was just sad because of Mommy. Not because he didn't love you. But I'm gonna make you a promise. From now, Daddy's always gonna be here for you, no matter what. I love you so much, Samantha Benson. You're my girl." Freddie murmured softly, the tears falling slowly down his face while gazing at his daughter.

Finally, Little Sam closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Freddie decided not to put her back in the crib, but continued sitting in the rocking chair with her, swaying to and fro.

And from there on, father and daughter were inseparable.

* * *

><p><strong>Sad wasn't it. Carly died. Trust me, this story is amazing. Seddie in the later chapters.<strong>

**To those who are confused, the Samantha and Little Sam are the same. She is the daughter of Carly and Freddie. Remember Carly died, so no more Creddie (OMG, that sounded mean, lol, but I'm just trying to convince that there is Seddie, and the story is going to lead up gradually to it).**

**Oh, and the little scene in the beginning is from a chapter up ahead.**


	2. iTake A Closer Look At Myself

**Hey guys! How are you liking this story based n my favorite movie? A girl who's username is Snapplelinz wrote all this, I'm just copying it (I asked for permission) and changing some things around. All credit goes to her for the awesome fic!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Gross! In love with Freddie? Hahahahahahhahahahaha! Joke of the day! I'd rather drink out of a toilet!"- Sam. <strong>_**Sam Sam Sam.**** Falling in love is not a choice, it's destiny. You can't choose who you fall in love with, it just happens. And your destined to fall in love with your "enemy".**

* * *

><p><strong><em>8 Years Later…<em>**

**7 May, 2025**

"Grandma, we gotta go! I don't wanna be late!" Sam exclaimed impatiently from her bedroom.

"Slow your roll, Sammy-Bear. I'm just getting my purse!" Marissa shot back exasperatedly from downstairs.

Sam sighed and grabbed her favorite teddy bear, Mr. Fluffy Snuffington from over her quilt. She was in a hurry to go meet her Daddy at the beach for their special picnic. It wasn't very often that they got to do it because of Freddie's work as a software designer at a multi-million dollar corporation. But today, Marissa was going to take Sam to the beach so that they could wait for Freddie to go on his lunch break.

"Grandma!" Sam called out again, bounding down the stairs, her pink and white polka dot backpack on her shoulder and Mr. Snuffington in her arms.

"For goodness sake's, Sam, I'm…" Marissa trailed off while she stared at her granddaughter.

For 7 years old, Sam Marissa Benson was the picture of serenity and bliss. She wore a baby pink summer dress with white polka dots on them and her favorite pink sandals with a butterfly print on them. Everyone who saw her all seemed to agree on point: she was the spitting image of her mother. She had the same fair skin tone; two wide dimples across her cheeks; that same mischievous grin. Even her nose (which was a slight mixture with Marissa's) was like Carly's.

But she didn't have Carly's long blonde hair; her hair (currently tied up in pigtails) was a healthy shade of blonde unlike Freddie's or Carly's- which was extremely weird and uncommon- with wavy ringlets. And her eyes were unlike Freddie's and Carly's too, blue. She sure was Carly's an Freddie's child, but with sooo many differences. She had inherited Freddie's intelligence and Carly's love for social life all in one attractive blend. Sometimes, it was all Marissa could do not to stare at Sam. She was a constant reminder of Carly's presence in all their lives- even though he looked nothing like her- she was her daughter and she did bring painful memories. Most days, that was a good thing. But on other days (much like this one), it was rather bitter-sweet. Yet at the same time, Marissa couldn't help but think of another's face that Sam forcefully reminded her of…

"Grandma, what's wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?" Sam asked questioningly.

"Nothing, sweetheart. It's just that…you look so beautiful in your new pink dress." Marissa admired smoothly.

"Thanks, Grandma. Do you think Daddy will like it?" Sam asked eagerly.

"He'll love it, Sammy-Bear." Marissa murmured seriously, her eyes full with tears.

"Okay, then let's go, Grandma!" Sam shrieked excitedly, making a beeline for the front door.

Marissa sighed and smiled to herself, grabbing her front door keys and locking it behind her.

The drive through downtown San Francisco was relatively short while Marissa and Sam took in the sights, listening to the radio and singing along happily to Aretha Franklin's 'Respect'. By the time they arrived at San Francisco Bay, it was getting crowded with the midday rush. The Golden Gate Bridge could be seen in the distance, already littered with midday traffic. Sam and Marissa had already laid out the blanket on the sand and began eating some of the cheese and cucumber sandwiches that Marissa had made. After about 20 minutes, Marissa and Sam went to get ice-creams. But after 30 minutes, they were beginning to get impatient.

"Grandma, why isn't Daddy here yet?" Sam asked impatiently.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon, sweetie. His meeting probably just ran over time." Marissa answered reassuringly.

But after an hour of waiting, their impatience grew slowly into anxiety. Where was Freddie?

"Grandma, where's Daddy? I'm scared." Sam admitted anxiously.

"Me too, honey." Marissa agreed fretfully, while retrieving her cellphone from her purse.

Just as she was about to start dialing Freddie's work number and cellphone number simultaneously, both her and Sam heard the sounds of frantic screaming and panting. They both looked up and saw Freddie running haphazardly in their direction. The closer he got, the more they could see how strange his appearance looked. His tie was swinging wildly from his collar; his white dress shirt was stained with noticeable sweat spots; his black slacks were covered in dirt splotches from falling down a few times on the sand and he was sweating profusely.

"Freddie, where have you been? Sam and I have been waiting for you for the past hour," Marissa commented reproachfully.

"I know, Mom. I'm so sorry, Baby Girl. I completely forgot that we were having our picnic today." Freddie apologized profusely.

"Freddie," Marissa murmured indignantly in an undertone, while Sam stood off to the side.

"Mom, don't start." Freddie whispered tersely.

"No, you listen to me Mister. You need to get your priorities straight. Now your daughter was really looking forward to this picnic and you forgetting about it is just not on!" Marissa whispered curtly.

"I didn't do it on purpose, Mom! I was doing a pitch for Microsoft for their latest Spyware! And you know what that means if I get the contract? Being able to give Sam more, like getting her into that performing arts school that we talked about!" Freddie retorted shortly.

"I think Sam would like to see more of you than go to some school!" Marissa shot back knowingly.

Just as Freddie was about to make a clever retort, Sam stepped between her father and her grandmother.

"Grandma, could you please excuse us? I want to talk to Daddy for a minute." Sam interrupted calmly.

Marissa stared down at her invisibly for a moment before answering.

"Of course, sweetheart. I'm gonna go take a walk down towards the water."

With that, Marissa left the two of them, glancing back momentarily. Freddie scrunched down onto his thighs so that he was the Same height as Sam.

"Daddy, we need to talk." Sam began seriously, folding her arms across her chest.

"I gathered as much. Alright, kiddo, shoot." Freddie offered patiently.

"I can't keep babysitting you, Daddy." Sam stated dramatically.

"Excuse me?" Freddie asked blankly, raising his eyebrows at his daughter.

"It's just not right. You're never on time for our father-daughter picnics anymore; you always do your Christmas shopping at the last minute and you don't put the toilet seat down when you're finished in the bathroom. We can't go on like this," Sam pointed out emphatically.

"Uh huh," Freddie murmured, trying to humor her.

"It's not fair, Daddy. I'm a growing girl, I have needs. I can't even watch 'Hannah Montana' in peace lately because I'm too busy worrying about you." Sam continued desperately.

"Honey, there's nothing to worry about. I'm fine." Freddie persisted casually.

"No you're not, Daddy. When was the last time you went out on a date?" Sam demanded emphatically.

Freddie chuckled slightly before answering.

"Sammy-Bear, I don't need to go on dates. Not when I have my two favorite girls with me already." Freddie responded smoothly, tapping Sam's nose with his index finger and glancing towards Marissa, who was wading ankle-deep into the water.

"That's different with me and Grandma. I mean a real life woman, Daddy. Like a wife or a Mommy." Sam persisted seriously, a sad scowl puckering her features.

Freddie was up on his feet now, moving slightly away from Sam. How many times had they gotten close to this topic and he had almost always headed for the hills in response? After the first year of the anniversary of Carly's death, Freddie had decided to be more hands-on when it came to his daughter. After he had first held Sam a month after her birth, he had become quite the doting father: buying her anything she wanted; attending every ballet recital; tucking her in every night and reading her a story. But in recent months, he had become really swamped at work. And on certain nights when he had finished at work relatively early, he still found excuses to come home late, back to the loft.

After all, way before his mother had come to live there and long before Sam was born, that had been his and Carly's home. They had moved to San Francisco straight after graduating from college and getting married. It had taken them nearly 6 months to find the perfect place. Since the economy was suffering through yet another recession, the loft apartment they had found in Ashbury Heights along Baker Street was simply a steal.

From the first day they moved in, Carly had gone all out to give the loft apartment her own special touch. Freddie had been okay with the glow-in-the-dark gold fish that she had found at some mysterious pet shop. But the purple and green arm chairs that she had picked out from an antique furniture store had been a real stretch of the imagination. Her best personal touch had been to put her paintings throughout the loft.

Since studying art back in high school and college, Carly had become quite the accomplished artist over time. And San Francisco had proven to be the perfect market for a young upcoming artist such as herself. His favorite picture that she had ever drawn was of a bunny, which still hung in their bedroom.

It seemed to get harder with every passing year to be there and not think of her. So that's why he threw himself into his work.

He didn't want to flounder, but he also knew that he couldn't move on, not just yet. It's not like he hadn't gotten offers from women at work or the occasional woman he met at a newsstand or a Starbucks. At the age of 26, he knew that he had grown up to be the kind of guy that women found attractive. But each time, he had politely declined, using his daughter as an excuse for why he didn't date. But that wasn't really the reason. If the right woman came along, someone who could accept that Sam was his everything, Freddie imagined that he would be able to make it work. But there hadn't been anyone close, no one who could ever measure up to Carly.

"I see. So you're saying you don't wanna be my wife and take care of me? So it's okay for me to be both your Daddy and your Mommy, but not the other way around?" Freddie asked, feigning anger, hoping Sam would fall for it and become apologetic.

"Daddy, be serious!" Sam shrieked indignantly, which caused Freddie to laugh.

He opted to sit on top of the picnic blanket because his calves were starting to cramp up. Sam came and sat down next to him, staring straight ahead at the ocean.

"I'm sorry I was late again. I'll make you a deal, kiddo. No more late nights at the office and no more missing our special picnics." Freddie began seriously, looking straight at his only child.

Sam stared at Freddie and gazed into his eyes intently.

"Pinkie swear?" Sam asked quietly, holding out her finger towards her father.

"Pinkie swear." Freddie answered slowly, taking his little finger and entwining it with his daughter's even smaller little finger.

"Shake on it?" Sam prompted, holding out her hand.

A reluctant Freddie held out his hand, knowing full well what was coming. Sam opened his hand wide, spat it into it, then covered his hand with hers and shook it vigorously.

"Now I know you won't break your promise," Sam stated triumphantly.

"Yip, there's no going back now," Freddie remarked distastefully.

He couldn't resist retrieving the small bottle of waterless soap from his shirt pocket and spraying his and Sam's hands with it right after.

"Daddy, you're almost as bad as Grandma!" Sam exclaimed reproachfully, ridding her hand of the sticky residue on her dress.

"Sorry, kiddo. But Grandma's right about some things, and germs are one of them." Freddie chanted in a no-nonsense manner.

Marissa had reached the picnic blanket in time to hear the last comment.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that you think so highly of me." Marissa teased of Freddie.

"Honey, why don't you give your Daddy a cheese and cucumber sandwich?" she asked gently of Sam.

Sam grinned and handed Freddie a sandwich wrapped carefully in cellophane. Once again, Freddie looked less than enthusiastic.

"Cheese and cucumber? Mom, didn't you pack any chicken-mayo sandwiches?" Freddie asked in a whiny voice.

Marissa and Sam exchanged a quick glance before she answered.

"Of course I did, honey. But you took so long to get here that Sam and I ate them all up." Marissa responded solemnly.

While Marissa and Sam continued nodding their heads and looking forlorn, Freddie glanced at them suspiciously. He couldn't help noticing that Sam's hands were clasped firmly behind her back.

"Sammy-Bear, what's behind your back?" Freddie asked casually.

"Nothing." Sam replied innocently.

"Sam Marissa Benson, is that one of my chicken-mayo sandwiches behind your back?" Freddie demanded suspiciously, coming closer towards her.

"No." Sam responded quickly.

"Sam. Mom, how can you stand there and let your granddaughter lie through her teeth?" Freddie demanded exasperatedly of his mother.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Marissa replied nonchalantly, the ghost of a twinkle in her eye.

Freddie nodded and bent down over the sand, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Alright, have it your way then." He murmured right before he started pelting his mother and daughter with sand.

The young girl and the older woman began shrieking loudly and trying to dodge Freddie's attacks. But he was just getting started. He knew he had a lot to make up for, but today would be the first of many days to come. As for right now, he was having way too much fun with his two favorite girls.

**_New York City…_**

**8 May, 2025**

A good 24 hours after the picnic at the beach, Freddie was back in his office, typing away happily at his computer around noon. He wanted to make good on his promise. And since Sam's 8th birthday was coming up, he wanted to make it the best day ever. He moved his fingers away from the keyboard and picked up his cordless office phone. He began calling around town, setting his plan in motion.

There was just one person who had once been close to both Freddie and Carly who was unaware of all the festivities and silliness. It was 9 am and she lay still sprawled out in her queen-sized bed. She woke up with a start when the front door to her one-bedroom apartment opened and slammed with a loud bang. She moved her blonde tendrils out of her face and tried to open her eyes. While San Francisco was experiencing warm weather in anticipation of summer, the air in New York was still crisp, especially for spring. She shivered slightly as she got out of bed and covered her petite frame with a gown to cover her skimpy tank top and sleep shorts.

She frowned to herself at the obvious sounds of her older "brother" rummaging through her kitchen cupboard and whistling the tune of what sounded like a Jim Croce song. She stalked out of her bedroom and made a beeline for the kitchen. She stopped just behind her "brother" while he poked his head inside the refrigerator, singing cheerfully:

"And he's bad, bad Leroy Blonde. The baddest man in the whole damn town. Badder than old King Kong. Meaner than a junkyard dog," he sang in a high-pitched falsetto.

"Spencer!" Sam Puckett shrieked crossly, causing him to bump his head on the middle rack of the refrigerator. Ever since Carly passed one, Sam was left alone when her parents also vanished into thin air. Since then, Spencer and his wife- who lives with him but barely communicates with anyone- adopted her when she was 17. From then Sam was officially his sister- legally she was his daughter and that's what the contract also says- but everyone prefers to them as siblings considering that Carly passed away and she was her best friend. So Sam is Spencer's certified sister.

"Ow, son of a b…hey Sam, you're awake!" Spencer yelled out happily in greeting, extending his arms towards her in a hug.

Sam dodged his attack and folded her arms across her chest, glancing at him with a questioning stare.

"Spencer, what are you doing here?" she demanded in an unfriendly tone.

"What? I need an excuse to visit my kid sister?" Spencer questioned lightly, flashing her goofy grin. It's been years, no Spencer relates to Sam just the way he related to Carly.

"No, but you do need an excuse for using the spare key to my apartment which I clearly said was only for emergencies." Sam retorted flatly.

"It was an emergency. You were out of taco shells." Spencer responded pointedly.

"So you felt the need to empty out the rest of my pantry just for good measure?" Sam questioned flippantly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sam. I went to the grocery store and refilled your pantry. I saw you were running out of skim milk too." Spencer explained calmly.

The glare dropped from Sam's face and was replaced with a gnawing feeling in her stomach.

"Oh. Sorry." She stated sheepishly, deciding to busy herself with preparing a fresh pot of coffee.

"No problem, kiddo. You want me to make you some cereal?" Spencer asked casually.

"Spencer, what are you really doing here?" Sam asked sharply, placing the coffee jug back onto its holder and gazing at him intently.

After Sam had taken up her job at Random House Publishers nearly 6 years ago, Spencer had mysteriously moved from Seattle to New York shortly after. Before then, Sam had been more of a wandering gypsy, staying and working briefly in several famous capital cities around the world like London and Paris to name a few. Spencer had purchased for himself a loft studio near China Town where he could continue working on his sculptures. He claimed that the art critics in New York were far more receptive to his original designs than back in Seattle and that's why he had moved. But Sam knew better. It was just another trick (more likely on the advice of her father, who was serving in Iraq) for Spencer to keep a close eye on her.

"I told you, kiddo. Just thought I'd drop by and check up on you." Spencer answered truthfully.

"Thank you for doing that, but you really should've called first, Spencer." Sam responded rapidly, grabbing two mugs from a drawer and putting them on top of the kitchen counter.

"How come you're not at work yet?" Spencer asked quizzically after glancing at his wrist watch.

"I decided to work from home today. I've got a bunch of manuscripts that I've gotta read through before tomorrow." Sam explained quickly, adding two teaspoons of her sugar to each mug and stirring them ceremoniously.

She handed one of the mugs to Spencer and sipped on her own mug of coffee slowly, more as a way to give her something to do with her mouth. Something that didn't involve talking.

"Heard from Jake lately?" Spencer queried lightly.

Sam put her mug back down onto the counter and scowled at Spencer.

"He's on a routine flight to Hawaii. What's with the '20 questions', Spencer?" Sam demanded waspishly.

"Sheesh, I'm just asking. Am I not allowed to take an interest in your life? I'm your big brother, Sam." Spencer answered exasperatedly, putting his mug down too.

Sam clutched at a few strands of her hair and willed herself to calm down.

"I'm sorry, Spencer. I didn't mean to snap at you. I honestly don't know where that came from," Sam admitted regretfully.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Sam. I know this time of the year is always hard for you. That's why I dropped by, to give you this. Maybe it'll help." Spencer responded softly, retrieving a slip of paper from his jeans pocket and handing it to Sam.

She took the slip of paper from Spencer's hand, confusion etched on her face. After she had read the contents, her eyes reflected her astonishment and anger.

"Where did you get this?" she demanded slowly of Spencer, her eyes becoming strangely moist.

"I know a guy. Look, it's happening in about two weeks' time. I just thought that maybe you'd wanna talk to them after all this time," Spencer began, but was cut short by Sam.

"Well, you thought wrong, Spencer." Sam retorted angrily, a lone tear escaping from her eye.

"Sam, it's been more than 10 years. You can't keep punishing yourself this way." Spencer persisted patiently.

"It's for the best, Spencer. I made up my mind a long time ago. And I'm not going back on it now," Sam stated briefly while she dabbed at her eye with the back of her eye, turning away from Spencer.

"I think you're making a mistake by shutting yourself up like this, Sam. Carly and Freddie were your best friends. You can't change what happened," Spencer responded impatiently, feeling the anger creeping up into his voice too.`

"Exactly. So why bother? Freddie's moved on, I've moved on. Everyone's moved on. So why can't you just let this go? We're not in each other's lives anymore. And that's how it should stay." Sam answered firmly, her knuckles turning white from clutching them too tightly at her sides.

"So you won't call him?" Spencer asked slowly.

Sam shook her head repeatedly, afraid that if she opened her mouth, she'd start crying again.

"Okay, I won't push. I'll leave the number here if you change your mind. I've gotta go see a potential client. Will you be okay?" Spencer asked hesitantly, standing just behind Sam.

Still not looking at Spencer, Sam simply nodded her head three times.

"Okay. I'll call you later, kiddo. Bye."

With one last forlorn expression back at his only sister, Spencer exited the apartment. When Sam heard the click of the front door shutting in place, her elbows which had been resting atop the counter finally gave out. Her emotions finally escaped as hot of tears fell from her eyes, splashing down her chin and onto the marble counter top. Her shoulders began shaking as her sobs escaped her throat in shudders and gasps.

She reasoned that it had been much worse right after Carly's death. She had cried nearly every day for an entire year after it happened. As time had progressed, she had only subjected herself to bouts of mournful depression around the anniversary of Carly's death and the birth of hers and Freddie's daughter. Naturally, she had attended the funeral. But she hadn't remained and had chosen instead to book the next flight out of San Francisco and begin what would be at least two years of the life of a traveler: having no home and desiring none.

Sometimes she wished she had stayed longer, if only to see Freddie through his time of grief. But she knew she couldn't, not after everything. Not when she had left them in the first place for reasons too long buried, but not easily forgotten. And on top of the list of regrets, she realized that she had never found out what Freddie and Carly had decided to name their daughter.

* * *

><p><strong>I wanna know what you guys think so far. I'll update when i think people actually wanna read more.<strong>


	3. iRecieve The Major Birthday Gift

**Guys, are you guys liking this? I swear, Seddie will come! And guys, this is not my story, I disclaim it! I took permission from the regular author because this stor is based on my favorite Indian movie and I wanted the Americans to know about it too. But I may start writing my own after this chapter, but till now, it's not me! If you want to see my actual work, you guys should go to my page!**

* * *

><p>It was hard to escape Carly or the overwhelming memories, especially on a night like this when the air was a degree colder than what was normal, causing numerous Goosebumps to swell across his body, mixing with his sweat. He continued pushing the muscles in his legs, chest and arms into merciless pain while he let his mind wander.<p>

First, his mind's eye travelled to the end, then to the beginning where he met Carly, when they became friends, when Freddie proposed Carly, when they got married, when they vowed to always stay together, when Carly gave Freddie the news of her pregnancy, when she was giving birth, when the doctor gave him the news of her death- everything.

Freddie blinked back a few tears while he watched the ball hit the side of the rim and bounce back towards him with a loud bang. That was the end of it, all of their dreams and plans, right at the beginning. They were supposed to spend the rest of their lives together, raise their child together. Have more children. They were supposed to celebrate more birthdays together. If only he could go back to the beginning, when it was just him, Carly and Sam back in middle school, doing iCarly and helping Spencer with his crazy sculptures. Those were simpler times. When had everything changed so drastically?

"Freddie!"

He whipped around towards the front door. Marissa was leaning against the doorway watching him, folding her arms across her chest. She had dozed off momentarily an hour ago and awoken to the sounds of sneakers squeaking against concrete and the swish of a ball in midair and come to inspect. Sam still lay asleep in her own bed, blissfully unaware.

"What are you doing out here so late?" she queried in concern.

"I couldn't sleep," Freddie answered dully, shooting yet another 3-point shot.

"Are you okay?" Marissa asked pointedly.

"Why wouldn't I be? It's my daughter's birthday tomorrow. I've got a great day planned filled with fun and lots of activities," Freddie answered casually, dribbling the ball between his hands.

"Hmm. Lots of activities that will keep you too preoccupied to think about what tomorrow means?" Marissa questioned lightly, coming to stand next to Freddie.

Freddie made no response and made a perfect free-throw.

"Freddie, you don't have to pretend with me, honey. While I know that you adore our little Samantha, I also know that how difficult this month is for you." Marissa stated softly, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"All these memories just kept playing in my head like a broken record, Mom. Carly's pregnancy, the wedding, our engagement, all of it. I just wish I could just forget." Freddie admitted sadly, clutching the basketball tightly in his hands.

"Honey, you can't forget all of the special times you had with Carly. I don't think you ever get over losing someone you love, but you do find a way to move forward." Marissa responded knowingly.

"How long did it take you to get over Dad walking out on you?" Freddie asked slowly.

"I'll let you know when I'm over it." Marissa replied with a dry smile.

"But it does get better in time," she added softly.

"I hope so, Mom." Freddie responded quietly.

"You're a great father, Freddie. And you have a daughter that loves you. That's more than what most people get in one lifetime." Marissa pointed out earnestly.

"You forgot to mention Sam's awesome grandmother," Freddie remarked smoothly, a grin etched on his face.

Marissa smiled at his compliment before continuing.

"But sometimes I worry about you cutting yourself off from finding someone else." She persisted in a quieter tone.

Freddie turned around to look at her, a doubtful expression on her face.

"Someone else?" he asked quizzically.

"You don't have to be a widower forever. You could still fall in love a second time." Marissa responded carefully.

"Impossible." Freddie answered promptly, aiming yet another untouched free throw.

"Why?" Marissa asked blankly.

Freddie caught the ball once more and turned to face his mother.

"I've always had a plan about how my life would turn out: graduate from high school, study IT and Computer Software Design, get a great job, fall in love. Not necessarily in that exact order, but it was a plan.

When I was a kid, I had a few crushes and girlfriends. Yeah I started out as a _nub- _Sam would say- but I suddenly became the boy everyone wanted. I never knew who my real friends were and who my fake friends were- I could only trust two people- Carly and Sam.

After iCarly and high school, we gone our separate ways. Sam suddenly disappeared for some reason and it was just me and Carly- but we had t go out separate ways due to college.

But look at fate- I got to college and found Carly again. How we never knew we were gonna go to the same college is weird and still unknown, but I'm glad it happened. We started connecting on a whole new level. And I fell in love with her again, really fell in love with her, Mom, not just puppy love. And then we got married and started planning our future. We almost had everything we wanted, Mom." Freddie explained sadly.

"What are you saying, Freddie?" Marissa asked seriously.

"I'm saying that you're supposed to do certain things only once. You live once, you love once, you die once." Freddie replied frankly.

"You honestly believe that?" Marissa asked, dumbfounded.

"You never remarried after you and Dad got divorced, right?" Freddie questioned, knowing full well what the answer was.

When Marissa made no response, Freddie continued.

"I loved Carly with everything I had. How can there possibly be another plan in this universe that I could love another person the same way?" Freddie asked earnestly.

"Freddie, I think you already do. You love your daughter with everything you have. And then of course, there was Sam Puckett. She was such a fn and awesome girl- even though I did dislike her at first and I thought of her to be a truly evil person, but she proved me wrong later. Whatever happened to her?" Marissa asked curiously, a strange twinkle in her eye.

Freddie shrugged as he continued dribbling his basketball.

"Who knows? Last time I heard about her, Gibby told me that she was back in the country again. I think she's living in New York now." He answered simply, missing an easy 2-point shot.

"I know she used to tease and torment you, but she cared about you a great deal, Freddie. I could see that much." Marissa stated sincerely.

"If she cared so much, she wouldn't have left in the first place," Freddie retorted flippantly.

This conversation about things that had happened a long time ago was suddenly making Freddie feel slightly on the defensive. How was it that Sam Puckett could still evoke any kind of feelings in him? He needed to change the subject.

"Look, can we talk about something else? I actually had a meeting today with Mr. Sawyer, he's a lawyer." Freddie answered swiftly.

"A lawyer?" Marissa asked in bewilderment.

"Carly's lawyer to be more precise." Freddie added shortly.

"Carly had a lawyer? What on earth for? Is everything alright?" Marissa asked nervously.

"Everything's fine, Mom. There were just some particulars of her will that she only wanted released now." Freddie explained calmly.

"Now? But it's 8 years later. What would she want released now?" Marissa asked anxiously.

"It's for Sam. Letters and videotapes that Carly made especially for Sam's 8th birthday. She even left her even some of the journals that she kept during the pregnancy." Freddie answered slowly.

"Oh, that's wonderful. Sam has already had so many questions about Carly. Now some of them can be answered. That's wonderful, isn't it?" Marissa asked wonderingly of Freddie.

"Of course it is. Right before she died, I promised Carly that our daughter would know her." Freddie responded blankly.

"Then what's wrong?" Marissa persisted anxiously.

"Call me crazy, but I'm envious of Sam." Freddie confessed lamely.

"Envious of your own daughter? But why?" Marissa questioned in confusion.

"Because she has something that even I don't have: Carly's letters." Freddie answered meekly.

"Did you know about the letters and the video tapes?" Freddie asked curiously of Marissa, for she had a strange look in her eye.

"Carly told me something about it when she was still in the hospital. The only thing she ever said to me was that she wanted Sam to know certain things. I swear that's all I knew about it." Marissa replied truthfully.

"I wonder why she told you that." Freddie remarked pensively.

"Maybe she was afraid that by the time it came to Sam's 8th birthday, you might not want Sam to see what she had left for her. Perhaps Carly thought that you might be too consumed with grief and she wanted me to make sure that Sam got her letters." Marissa responded reasonably.

Freddie nodded once and made another free throw which swished softly through the basketball net. He'd assumed just as much about Carly's motives for keeping this from him. He couldn't fault her for being overly cautious.

"Don't worry, Mom. Sam will have everything that Carly wanted her to have. I won't deny either of them that." Freddie stated sincerely.

Marissa sensed that the conversation was coming to a close and began retreating back towards the front door.

"I think I'll go to bed now. Lots of things to do before Sam's birthday party. Try and get some sleep, honey."

And with that, Marissa took her leave of him, leaving Freddie alone with his thoughts.

He checked his watch. It was just after midnight and officially Sam's birthday. He sighed and continued dribbling the basketball deftly from left to right.

"Alright, here it is: the moment you've all been waiting for. Sam is now going to open up her mom's presents. And by presents, I do mean plural! Grandma Benson, if you will help me do the honors," Freddie began in an impression of a game show host.

"I surely will, Mr. Benson. Drum roll please, Mr. Gibson." Marissa implored in a news-reporter tone, playing along.

Gibby cupped his mouth with his hands and began beat-boxing while Freddie handed Marissa a gift bag filled to the brim with an assortment of things, who in turn handed it to Sam's outstretched hands. The room became quiet as Sam sat down cross-legged on the carpet and placed her tiny hands inside the bag. The first thing that she drew out felt soft and heavy like a thick cloth. Sam stared in awe at the multi-colored hooded sweater that she held limply in her hands.

"That was your mom's, Sam-Bear, when she was just a little older than you are right now. She wanted you to have it." Marissa explained through moist eyes that sparkled with happiness.

"Look in the bag, kiddo. There should be something else that goes with the hoodie." Freddie urged softly.

Sam's hands dove rapidly back into the gift bag. Her hands touched what felt like thin ropes and she pulled on them. The second items that she drew out were two multi-colored high top Converse sneakers that looked as though they might actually fit her feet.

"Wow," Sam gasped in awe while she held Carly's hoodie up in the air.

"Will they fit me, Daddy?" Sam asked worriedly, referring to Carly's shoes.

Freddie chuckled heartily in response.

"Don't worry about that, sweetheart. Your mom had really small feet." Freddie explained comfortingly while leaning forward to kiss Sam on the forehead.

Everyone began clapping and hooting uproariously.

"And now, it's time to watch some home videos from the days that Dinosaurs roamed the Earth. According to this first letter from Carly, we have been instructed to only watch the DVD labeled as number '1'. The rest are for Sam's own eyes," Freddie explained in a comically low voice.

Marissa gazed momentarily at Freddie's expression. Even though he was playing along for everyone else's benefit, she could tell that he wasn't entirely happy with this last stipulation of Carly's. Sam's eyes were alight with curiosity and unrepressed excitement as Freddie put the first disc into the DVD player, labeled '21 November, 2016' Everyone scooted closer as Carly and Freddie's faces appeared on the TV screen. Carly appeared to be sitting in almost the exact same position as the throng of people in the living room, although they seemed to be less furniture in the same space. The camera wobbled ever so slightly as Carly began calling out to Fred:

"_Freddie, come on. Hurry up!" Carly called out impatiently._

"_Wow, impatient much?" Freddie's voice rang out from a place that couldn't be seen on the video camera screen._

"_Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Freddie. Now get into the shot so we can both talk to our unborn child." Carly persisted laughingly while glancing down at her round belly momentarily._

"_One second. I just have to adjust the tripod by about 5 degrees." Freddie answered pensively._

"_You are such a nerd," Carly noted with an eye roll._

"_Yes, I'm the nerd that's fixing the camera angle so that there isn't an unsightly glare from the living room window. Don't you want our baby to view this DVD with a clear image?" Freddie asked in that annoyingly rational tone of his._

"_Right now, I'd just settle for recording the DVD period. Please come sit down, Freddie." Carly pleaded earnestly._

"_Alright, the image looks…okay. We're a go." Freddie concluded in a professional voice before coming into view in front of the camera and sitting down next to Carly on the sofa._

"_Now what?" Freddie asked expectantly of his young wife, causing her to roll her eyes._

"_You're supposed to talk to the camera to our unborn child." Carly responded wearily._

"_What should I say?" Freddie asked blankly._

_Carly shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose._

"_This was your idea in the first place and you choose this exact moment to be a nub, Fredward. As usual, Mama's gotta do everything." Carly responded frankly with a knowing grin on her face._

_Carly faced the camera and a genuine smile crept onto her face as she imagined herself talking face to face with hers and Freddie's baby._

"_Hey there, Baby. We haven't been formally introduced, but we're your parents. I'm Carly, and I'll be your Mom for the next couple of years. And this is Freddie and…he'll be there too." Carly began teasingly, causing Freddie to frown at her._

Shane shook his head and clapped Freddie hard on the back, laughing at how Freddie's current look mirrored that of his former self.

"_Um, ignore your Mom on your last point, Baby. I'm Freddie and I will be your Daddy for the next few years. Unless you're planning on changing that soon," Freddie countered, narrowing his eyes at Carly._

"_Sometimes I ask myself why I married you, Freddie Benson. You are easily the most annoyingly smug person I've ever met." Carly responded with a beady expression._

"_You know you love it." Freddie noted in a husky voice while leaning in towards Carly's cheek and kissing the back of her ear playfully before pecking her gently on the lips._

A few of the male adults' wolf-whistled while the kids (save for Sam) made loud noises of displeasure at the overt display of affection.

_Carly's eyes looked as if she would dearly liked to have deepened the kiss. But she was brought back to her senses when she glanced at the video camera out of the corner of her eye._

"_Uh, Freddie, we'll have to pick that up later. We're not making that kind of video." Carly reasoned hurriedly._

_With a shifty glance at the camera, Freddie straightened himself and settled for putting his hand on Carly's knee while she continued speaking._

"_Anyway, so I'm about 12 weeks into my pregnancy. And you know what that means? It's means that Daddy and I have already been to see Dr. Harris, and we know what gender you're gonna be. Alright, drum roll please, Mr. Benson." Carly commanded of Freddie in a booming voice._

"_Gladly, Mrs. Benson," Freddie acquiesced in similar fashion while he began banging a beat on his knee caps._

"_Wait for this. You're going to be a…GIRL! We felt we should tell you now so that when you're born, there aren't any surprises." Carly teased lightly with a broad smile at the camera._

"_Just because we know the sex of the baby, doesn't mean there may not still be any 'surprises'." Freddie replied with a teasing smirk._

"_Freddie, don't freak our baby out!" Carly exclaimed hysterically, punching him in the arm._

"_Okay, ow. Let's move on. What do you want to tell our Baby?" Freddie asked politely of Carly while glancing curiously over at her._

"_Ooh, let's talk about the night she was conceived!" Carly suggested eagerly._

"_Ooh, let's not!" Freddie exclaimed, matching her tone._

"_Come on, Freddie." Carly whined._

"_No way, Carly. Do you want to scar our baby before she even has a chance to resent us later for embarrassing her into oblivion?" Freddie asked comically._

"_Fine. Then I want to tell her about the wedding and when you proposed to me in the rain." Carly replied firmly._

"_Go right ahead, and stick to the facts this time." Freddie suggested with a stern look._

_Carly glowered at him momentarily before launching into the tale, with Freddie jumping in at intervals. When they came to the end of their tale, Freddie began addressing the camera._

"_At the end of the day, all you need to know is that your parents loved each other very much and that we're going to love you even more, Baby Girl. We're so excited that we get to be your parents and you get to be our child." Freddie stated sincerely, while placing his arm around Carly's shoulders and bringing her closer to him._

_Carly leant in towards Freddie and kissed him gently on the lips._

"_I love you," she murmured softly as she rested her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his midriff._

"_I love you too, and don't you forget it." Freddie urged seriously._

"_Never," Carly whispered back as she closed her eyes._

_Freddie waited a few minutes until he knew that Carly was fast asleep. He lifted her head gently off his chest and placed a pillow under her head. He moved off the couch and covered Carly with a blanket hanging over a nearby chair. With one last look at the camera, Freddie moved out of its vision and the screen became fuzzy._

Everyone in the room began clapping as Freddie went to remove the DVD from the player. Then he knelt down next to Sam, who had been strangely quiet throughout the short film.

"You okay, kiddo?" Freddie asked in concern.

Sam glanced up at him and nodded slowly, looking morose.

"Didn't you like the video?" Freddie pressed curiously.

"I did like the video, Daddy. I just miss Mommy." Sam admitted sadly.

Gibby took Marissa's hand gently when she looked as if she was about to burst into tears at Sam's admission.

"I know, Baby. I miss her too. But Mommy wouldn't want you to be sad today. Today's a special day and Mommy would want you to have the best day ever with all your friends and the people who love you." Freddie reasoned gently.

A smile curled onto Sam's lips as she put her arms around Freddie and hugged him tightly.

"I love you, Daddy." She whispered tentatively in his ear.

"I love you too, Sam. And don't you ever forget that." Freddie whispered back in a gruff voice.

"Never," Sam whispered back with a giggle when she pulled out of his embrace.

After that, the party resumed with more laughter, dancing and bouncing on the jumping castle. The party finally ended just after 8pm when Sam's little friends began leaving with their parents. Marissa's friends hugged and kissed her goodbye as they too took their leave.

Gibby and Shane stayed a while longer to help Freddie and Marissa clean up. Then they both bid the Bensons goodnight and kissed Sam and Marissa goodbye. After Sam had taken a bath and climbed into bed, Marissa came into her bedroom to kiss her goodnight. Freddie entered the room several minutes later to read Sam a bed time story and tuck her in for the night.

"Did you enjoy your party, Princess?" Freddie asked softly as he drew the covers over Sam's shoulders.

Sam nodded enthusiastically with a broad smile on her face.

"Can I sleep in Mommy's sweater tonight?" she asked tentatively.

"Course you can, sweetheart. I'm sure Mommy would like that." Freddie answered with a small smile.

He retrieved the multi-colored hoodie hanging over a rocking chair in the corner of the room and helped Sam put it on. He chuckled at Sam's elated expression as she stared at herself.

"Do you want me to leave your night light on?" Freddie asked softly.

"Yes please, Daddy." Sam responded quickly.

"Goodnight, Sam. I love you." Freddie greeted before kissing Sam on both cheeks.

"Love you too, Daddy." Sam murmured happily.

"Daddy?" Sam called out to Freddie just as he got to the bedroom door.

"Yes, baby?"

"Mommy looked beautiful in the video." Sam declared seriously.

A small lump rose in Freddie's throat while he gazed at his daughter, who was the spitting image of Carly.

"Yes she did. Sweet dreams, kiddo." Freddie responded meekly.

After exchanging one more chorus of 'I love you', Freddie pushed the door on slightly as he left the room.

Sam lay in bed for several minutes staring up at the ceiling. She took a deep breath and sniffed eagerly at Carly's hoodie, which smelt like musty bacon and Fat cakes.

Sam ran her tiny hands along the contours of the sweater, savoring its soft texture. Her hands wandered into the pockets on each side of the sweater while her fingertips trailed over the meticulous stitching.

Sam frowned momentarily when she felt something crumply in the left pocket. She made a fist as her hand closed around the object as she took her hand out slowly.

Sam opened her hand and found a folded piece of paper resting in the middle of her palm. She opened it up delicately and found an untidy scrawl of words on the inside in the form of a brief letter.

"Hey Sam,

I hope you enjoyed your 8th birthday and the first home video of me and Daddy when I was pregnant with you. I have another video for you that I want you to watch, without Daddy and Grandma this time. I need you to watch 'Disc 2' as soon as you can, it's very important. I love you, sweetheart.

With love,

Mommy."

After reading the short letter one more time, Sam hopped out of bed and placed the letter back into her pocket. She grabbed Mr. Snuffington from underneath the covers and crept towards her bedroom door, listening intently for any sounds from either Freddie or Marissa.

Freddie's bedroom door was closed and the light was off. She snuck past it carefully, then past Marissa's door. Usually, Marissa was a pretty light sleeper. But all the planning for Sam's birthday had left her completely spent. Sam could hear her snoring loudly as she tiptoed downstairs.

As a safety precaution, Marissa always left the patio and living room lights on every single night. She said it was to ward off any burglars.

Sam moved towards the stack of DVD's left to her by Carly and searched for the second disc. The date on this particular one was labeled '13 June, 2017', a few days before Carly's untimely death.

Sam made short work of putting the disc into the DVD player and muffling the sound of the TV so that her father and grandmother wouldn't hear her. Then she sat down on the carpet in front of the TV, clutching Mr. Snuffington with fervent anticipation.

The screen, which initially had a snowy picture, finally crackled into clarity, revealing Carly to be sitting atop a small bed. Sam glanced curiously at her mother's strange outfit, which consisted of a thin white robe that went down to her knees. Then she remembered that people usually wore that when they stayed in hospital, remembering the last time Marissa had to go to the hospital to remove her Appendix.

Sam's lip trembled slightly at Carly's appearance; she looked so frail and tired. But she was still beautiful in Sam's eyes. Once Carly was sitting comfortably up in bed, she regarded the camera with a steady gaze.

_"Okay, here goes. Hi, Sam. It's me, Carly. I'm your Mom. You're probably asleep in the Maternity Ward right now with the on-duty nurse. I'm here by myself tonight. I convinced Grandma and Daddy to go home and get some sleep. Plus, I really wanted this time alone to leave you this message. As you probably know by now, Momma got really sick after you were born and I couldn't get better again. I'm sorry that I had to leave you and Daddy. I need you to know that I didn't leave because I didn't love you. I love both you and Daddy so much, that will never change." Carly began slowly, submitting to her tears, which rolled down her cheeks steadily._

Sam wiped haphazardly at her own tears with the back of her hand while she listened attentively.

_"The reason I'm leaving you this message is because I need your help, Sam-Bear. Momma's done some bad things in her life that she never got to make right before she left. I made Daddy really sad when I left. I need to know that he won't be sad forever and that the two of you can be happy again after I'm gone. I know you have Grandma, and she's really great. But Daddy needs a new wife and you need a new Mommy that will love you and Daddy just as much as I love you both. There's someone I need you to find for me, sweetheart. Someone that meant a lot to me and Daddy a long time ago. She's the only person that loves Daddy just as much as I do." Carly continued on in a serious voice._

Sam stared at her mother in awe, not being able to measure any other living person who could possibly love her Daddy more than her Mommy or her Grandmother.

_"Baby, it's time for me to tell you why your Daddy and I gave you the name 'Samantha'. You were named after Sam Puckett: the most awesome, fun, daring, nice hearted and most beautiful girl that I've ever known in my life. Me, Daddy and Sam grew up together back in Seattle and we were the best of friends. I need to make things right once and for all so that you can all be happy. I asked Uncle Gibby to help me fill in some of the blanks for this really long story, so I need you to listen carefully. Sam-Bear, I need to tell you about when Daddy and I fell in love and everything changed" "I need to tell you how I accidently came in between two best friends. In between two soul mates."_

* * *

><p><strong><em>How do you guys like it! Tell me please! She's going to tell the story of our favorite iCarly trio from high school- how their relationship developed and the reason for Sam's dissapearance. Guys, I don't mind if you just write "nice" or something, but please review. Please!<em>**


	4. Love Interfered Discontinuity

Ok guys- this is not an update obviously. I just want to tell you I am going to Discontinue this story.

BUT WAIT! Before you dive into depression, I want to say I am REMAKING this story.

The plot is going to be the exact same and everything i going to be the exact same. The reason I am doing it again is because well Love Interfered is based on a VERY VERY magnificent Bollywood movie which describes Seddie PERFECTLY, but judging the amount of reviews, a few people are interested in it and the reason is because the start is very Creddie and boring.

But no fear, I am going to make it better with a help of a friend of mine who's name I will tell you later. The reason for a lack of interest is because the beginning is kind of boring, but I am going to make it way better and show you what a great movie "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" is. The title of the new story is going to be Soulmate.

Ok guys, I'll be posting up the chapter for this story soon. Might want to check my page for the story in about either a few hours or tomorrow! Love you guys!


	5. Anyone here?

Hi, I just wanted to ask if any of you are actually even waiting for an update for Love Interfered or Soulmate


End file.
